Evaluation 2

How does your media product represent a particular social group?

   

I believe that my magazine represents similar social groups to those of magazines such as “Kerrang!” and “Rock Sound”. The image on the left was taken from a shoot done by “Kerrang!” magazine and the one on the right is one of my original images that I have used on the front cover of my magazine. Teenagers who listen to rock music are stereotyped as ‘moody’ and both of these images show ‘moody’ teenage girls and are relatable to the target audience also because of age. The style of the model in my picture is simple and the dip-dyed hair is a popular style for teenagers and young adults. This reflects the style of my target audience and so the magazine represents their social group. The messiness of the girl’s hair in both pictures represents the stereotypical teenage rocker attitude and rebellious style.

Both of these images are similar in terms of camera angle and shot and are both taken at eye level and are slightly longer than mid-shots. This is an appropriate shot to take for the cover as there is space all around the main part of the model for titles, pictures and cover lines. Also the models facial expression can be seen but so can her slouchy posture representing her attitude. The pose of the model is very important and poses are different depending on the genre of the magazine. Magazines such as “Teen Now” would have would have very happy, cheery covers as the social group it is aimed at is different and younger. However, rock magazines such as “Kerrang!” use different and unusual posing to match the style of the target audience.

Even though the magazines “Kerrang!” and “Q” are for similar audiences in terms of genre, they are for different social groups. This can be seen by even the quality of the paper it is printed on, “Q” is printed on shiny, thicker paper compared to “Kerrang!” which is printed on slightly flimsy magazine paper. This makes the price of “Q” higher at nearly £4 an issue compared to “Kerrang!” at an average of £2.50 per issue. This shows that the two magazines are aimed at different social groups as “Q” is aimed at audiences with slightly more money. My magazine would be similar to “Kerrang!” in terms of price not only for my particular social group, but also because of the age of my target audience.